Our Vision for the Future

Kids’ Minds Matter Goal

Our community has acknowledged that we have a children’s mental health epidemic in our country, and especially in our region. When left untreated, these conditions impact our youth well into their adult years.

We are focused on decreasing voluntary and involuntary pediatric psychiatric hospitalizations by focusing on three critical areas:

1

Improving access to care

2

Expanding community engagement and education to reduce prejudice and promote early detection

3

Building capacity in the region through collaboration and partnerships to identity gaps in behavioral health care, enhance existing services and develop programs to better meet the needs of our community.

Early intervention is critical to ensuring better outcomes for children with mental health challenges. Building a multi-faceted system will improve access to care, so we can reduce the number of Baker Acts by 35-40%.

Serena’s Story

Honor student and athlete, Serena, experienced a traumatic event as a teenager that lead to anxiety and depression. Her family says there was no place for her to go as a minor to get the specialized care she needed, and she had to wait until she turned 18 to receive proper care. Join us as we advocate to help teens like Serena, receive the mental health care they need, when they need it most.

In 2018, Dr. Paul Simeone was recruited from Boston, where he was on the faculty at Harvard Medical School’s Dept. of Psychiatry. He is a practicing psychologist with more than 30 years of experience in teaching, leadership and program development and improvement. In his current role, he is leading the strategic vision for mental and behavioral health care in Southwest Florida

Lee Health Foundation raises philanthropic dollars on behalf of Lee Health, including Cape Coral Hospital, Gulf Coast Medical Center, HealthPark Medical Center, Lee Memorial Hospital and Golisano Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida. The Foundation provides financial support for many service areas including the Regional Cancer Center, Lee Health Coconut Point, The Rehabilitation Hospital, Shipley Cardiothoracic Center, Community Health Clinics and Golisano Children’s Hospital Specialty Clinics in both Port Charlotte and Naples. Over the past two years, the Foundation has distributed more than $53 million to Lee Health to support its lifesaving mission.